FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20, 2021 - News came on Monday that the incoming Biden administration is planning to cancel the Keystone XL (KXL) tar sands pipeline on its first day in office. This is a win for Mother Earth, but it’s also a win for Indigenous Peoples who have been campaigning against pipelines like KXL for decades. It must not be forgotten that victories like this wouldn’t be possible without the leadership of Indigenous Peoples who consistently put ourselves on the line to fight back against the extractive industry. 

The Biden administration is going to take an important first step in rectifying abuses against Indigenous Peoples who have been protecting the lands and waters, but there are still other fights going on, like Line 3, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil lease sale, and the Trans Mountain Pipeline. Just last week a letter was released with signatures from over 75 Indigenous women leaders calling on President-elect Biden to stop KXL, Line 3, and DAPL. Now that the cancellation of KXL is imminent, the others must follow.

Members of the ICA network have worked on these pipeline fights for decades, and not just in their home countries, but all over the world, from the US Congress to UN meetings, from Parliament to the frontlines. Indigenous Peoples across North America have rallied against extractive projects for many years now, and our rights and well-being are constantly threatened and left up to the whims of the governments in power.

If constructed the KXL pipeline would only deepen our mutual addiction to dirty oil and enable the ongoing expansion of the tar sands at the expense of our communities; as well as at the expense of advancing clean energy. You have a choice at the direction we are taking in the world. You have the opportunity to become world leaders in clean renewable energy solutions to meet our energy needs without undermining or sacrificing the health of communities and ecosystems.

Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Director of Just Transition, Indigenous Climate Action, testimony to US Congress on the KXL pipeline and the impacts of tar sands in northern Alberta, March 20, 2012

In so-called Canada, the government continues to prop up its commitment to “reconciliation” while pushing for short-sighted projects that infringe on Indigenous rights and sovereignty. Rather than supporting climate justice and a Just Transition, Prime Minister Trudeau and the government continue to uphold a dying industry. The Canadian government cannot continue to brand itself as a climate champion while expanding industries that destroy Mother Earth.

In the aftermath of the KXL cancellation announcement, multiple members of the Liberal government and Conservative leaders have reiterated their support for KXL, claiming that Canada can still reach its climate targets. But the actions of the current government are taking us away from meeting our Paris Agreement commitments and willingly ignoring the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

This is a picture of what Canada continues to do, is to not actually uphold the tenets of Treaty and Aboriginal rights in this country, not meeting the bare minimum standards of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to allow us to have say over our lands and territories, and forcing these projects down our throats until our communities have no other choice but to say yes.

Eriel Deranger, Executive Director, Indigenous Climate Action, interview on Canada Tonight with Ginella Massa on January 18, 2021

Indigenous Peoples hold solutions to the climate crisis but rather than respecting our knowledge and offerings, the Canadian government polices us, violates our rights, and makes false promises. The refrain, “Reconciliation is dead,” did not come out of a vacuum. It came from activists frustrated from years of work, putting bodies and spirits on the line, all while a colonial government continues to break promises of moving forward towards a just future. Indigenous communities in extraction zones should not be forced to choose between their cultural survival and their health and basic needs. 

The KXL cancellation is a step in the right direction, but governments of both the United States and Canada must do more. Climate change will not wait. The impacts of this crisis are already being felt by Indigenous communities and further exacerbated by the global pandemic. It is not the time for half measures and false promises, but for climate justice. 

Indigenous Climate Action is the only Indigenous-led climate justice organization in Canada. 

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